Finnesburg Fragment (partially found fragment of Old English poem; date unknown)

Status: Partially Found

The Finnesburg Fragment is a fragment of an Old English poem that tells of a prince named Hnæf and his sixty men who are under attack and must repel the attack while in a great hall during the Battle of Finnsburg. The current fragment is most likely a later retelling of the poem. It is possible that the completed poem is approximately three hundred lines long. The first translation of the manuscript was made in 1705 by British scholar George Hickes, when he published fifty lines of the fragment in Linguarum Veterum Septentrionalium Thesaurus. References to the Finnesburg fragment have been made in other works of Anglo-Saxon literature, most notably in Beowulf where the poem is sung by a gleeman in Hrothgar's court. The poem in Beowulf ends on a different note than what was given in the Finnesburg Fragment. The character Hnæf is also mentioned in Beowulf as the brother of Hangest and is the King of Danes.

Story

Due to conflicting accounts of the story, it is unknown what exactly happens, but it can be estimated that Prince Hnaef and sixty loyal men visit the visit King Finn of Frisinia and his wife, Hildeburh who is Hnaef's sister. The Frisians mount a surprise attack on the Danes who are resting at the great hall. The story opens with the sixty Danes who are led by Prince Hnaef are under attack by the Frisians. Due to the lost nature of the poem, it is unknown what led to the conflict. The Danes take up positions at the doors of the great hall. Two Frisian soldiers who are named Garulf and Guthere call upon the soldiers who are guarding the great hall and ask who is guarding. A Danish soldier named Sigeferth responds, but it is unknown what is said. The Danes hold off the attacking Frisians for five days without any casualties and ends with Guthere retreating. The claim of no casualties is later altered in Beowulf as there is a segment in the poem called The Finnsburg Episode which tells of Prince Hnaef who is under attack and by the fifth day is killed. The Beowulf version does give a better insight into what the The Finnesburg Fragment may have been like before being lost to time.